"Obama’s current approach isn’t even gaining him credit on the deficit"

[phantom power]

Obama must break the current political dynamic, or else: There’s no sugar-coating it: Today’s new Washington Post poll shows that unless President Obama figures out a way to break out of the current political dynamic, he’s at serious risk. The key tell in the poll is not just that he’s at an all time low of 36 percent approval on both jobs and the economy, though that’s obviously important.

What’s really telling is that Obama’s current approach isn’t even gaining him credit on the deficit, even though he has prioritized the deficit and debt, to take spending off the table as an issue in order to focus on jobs. Only 36 percent approve of Obama’s handling of the deficit, a near low, despite his presiding over a debt ceiling deal creating a Congressional deficit supercommittee that will start its work this fall. Tellingly, this number is identical to the numbers on the economy and jobs — suggesting yet again that voter anxiety about the deficit is merely a proxy for anxiety about the economy.

The poll shows that Obama and Republicans are evenly split on who is more trusted on the economy, and that Republicans edge Obama on the deficit.

The poll also suggests that the preoccupation with the deficit has, if anything, given Republicans an assist with their argument against government spending. It finds that a majority, 56 percent, say they favor a smaller government with fewer services, suggesting voters may be internalizing the GOP claim that spending cuts and austerity are good for the economy. Though this finding has remained relatively consistent, it suggests again that the Dems’ effective endorsement of the conservative austerity/cut-cut-cut frame has reinforced pessimism about government and has left them no room to argue for meaningful government job-creation policies.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-morning-plum/2011/03/03/gIQAAH8W6J_blog.html

[villager]

1. Everyone knows the system doesn't work, and Obama is just as much a product/captive of it as any

...politician.

So the question is whether his status quo approach/campaign will get caught up in the reaction to the collapse -- currently being manipulated by the elites for their own ends -- or whether he'll stop mollycoddling those destroying our economy and our country.

[uberblonde]

2. It doesn't help...

When a Democratic president is reinforcing that Republican message at every turn.

[tblue]

3. That's what happens when you spew their rhetoric.

He should know better. Really! He's so smart. I don't get it. It's like he doesn't know what's at his core.

[Bake]

4. He let the Thugs frame the discussion.

All about the deficit, nothing about jobs. What the hell did he expect?

Bake

[w4rma]

5. His entire economic team are essentially Republicans. The progressives get marginalized

and then leave his administration.

[Bake]

6. BINGO!

There it is.

Bake